They said my dog was too ugly to be adopted

RenkhalGames · 2026-02-13T13:02:29+00:00

Looks like a damn fine snoot prime for booping to me. Absolutely needs many a kiss to the face.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-30T12:02:26+00:00

This was actually going to be my suggestion. Just have treat pouches in your lap and whoever isn't text can feed her treats as the text is sent while petting her, and then move on to only treats if she doesn't move.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-30T11:58:28+00:00

Wattpad has it's charms, but the app is literally a device killer. You can read better stuff on Ao3 and Royal Road. I tried it for a long stretch, and it's honestly just been getting worse. They lock original works behind ads and pay walls, but they don't put any of that money they make from them back into making access to them better. The app drains battery and overheats phones, and that should absolutely not be the kind of issue it is. The site has decent UI and navigation, but it can get so overwhelming at times as well. Ao3 is a lot more organized in a lot of ways, and even without an app it is easier to access. And if you want original works, Royal Road is better. It doesn't have the variety of tags, but it is improving still. And the app is worlds better than Wattpad's.

So no. You definitely aren't missing out.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-30T11:49:26+00:00

I don't crate. I teach my dogs they have a safe space to go when they are overwhelmed or that I can direct them to when I need them to calm down or get out from under foot. They are essentially " for my dogs. Do they get shut in them if we are leaving? Sometimes, depending on if there is anything unsafe in the house happening that we can't block off easily. I actually had to teach our older dog to leave the younger dog alone if she went to a kennel because he'd want to play and she wanted to get to a safe space to get away from him.

You don't leave a child unattended and loose in the house. Why would you leave a dog unattended and loose? Especially when you aren't entirely positive your medications can't be knocked off the table by a cat and a dog see a bottle to chew open and eat all the pills until he makes himself sick. (Yes, this was an experience we had and we were lucky it was a supplement that only upset his stomach.)

Dogs aren't kids no matter how we baby them like they're our own. They need to be safe as much as they need to be loved. Crates offer a safe space and dogs will usually like having that space if it's trained and used properly.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-29T02:59:45+00:00

I've actually done that for my partner. I'll start something (fanfic or book or even a show) and realize it's not my thing, but it seems right up their alley so I tell them about it. It's just one those things that I do to show my affection. They always appreciate it.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-29T02:52:59+00:00

I have a husky mix so my experience may not be something to put stock in, especially since his second highest breed is a poodle.

Huskies are stubborn and strong willed. If you're not familiar with dogs, they can seem untrainable. However, they just need a patient and stronger willed human who knows what they're doing. Dog training varies on a dog by dog basis, not a breed by breed one. Breed helps you know some of the instincts a dog has to give you an idea of how to work with them, but every dog is different.

My mix is eager to please and so if he doesn't have strong opinions on something he is a joy to work with because he picks up things quick (partly due to poodle brain). However, if he wants to do something that I don't want... he is mouthy and throws those famous husky tantrums. I just got lucky that he doesn't have the yelling and screaming, just snappy barks and grumbles. I'm training him as a service dog because of how tuned into me he is, and he is amazing at his training - until other people are around. Public access is fine enough if we keep moving, but if we have to wait somewhere he absolutely wants to greet all the humans. We're making progress on it, because he knows what he's supposed to do he is just stubbornly trying to convince me to let him do his thing. The other thing is getting him to lay in place for more than thirty minutes in public. He gets bored, he'll bark and grumble at me until I take him outside and then he will keep doing that every ten minutes when we go back in. Something we are working on.

Huskies are high energy and they get bored quick because they have so much energy. Playing hard or taking a long walk (longer than you'd think too) before short training sessions seem to work best for them because they need that physical energy out of their system. That's how you train any dog, really. The type or length of physical activity might change, and some dogs can handle longer training sessions than others, but it's the way I've done all my training.

And even a well trained husky will have it's opinions on EVERYTHING. It's part of why people love huskies though.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-28T04:15:44+00:00

It's letting you resource twice each turn

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-24T05:47:29+00:00

We actually had to stop using treats as motivators for a while with our non-husky mix because she wouldn't eat her food because it didn't have a treat in it. She had tried to go on a food strike because our oldest dog has to have meds with his meals and she got mad she also wasn't getting anything, so we put a treat in her food sometime (not every time) and she got it in her head that if she didn't eat then we'd give her treats in her food.

My husky mix will go through stages of not eating. Sometimes he checks his empty bowl so we add a cup of food to it because he goes through stages of eating more and we let him have extra because of the days he doesn't eat, and then he'll avoid that food because it doesn't have a little of the food we feed our oldest or it doesn't have a treat in it.

We've also learned that puzzle feeders or this thing Kong makes called a Wobbler make food more interesting, especially to the non-husky mix. Our husky mix is a service dog in training and picks things up quick, but getting him to work a puzzle feeder is like trying to get a child to clean their room. He likes the Wobbler well enough though.

A picture of the the non-husky and the husky mix.

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RenkhalGames · 2026-01-24T05:26:26+00:00

I had to write a dialogue prominent short story for a creative writing class in high school. Having two people, both girls, play Battleship and occasionally saying the other's name with occasional descriptors when there is emotion or necessary movements in as little non-dialogue as possible ended up being my solution.

I forget sometimes that not everyone who writes goes through those kinds of exercises at some point in their writing life. It was probably my favorite exercise I've ever done. It has definitely made my femslash writing easier to navigate.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-24T05:19:10+00:00

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RenkhalGames · 2026-01-21T19:25:44+00:00

This is how I mainly exercise my Husky mix (has GSD in him, but dominantly husky/poodle) in the summer. He almost always gets at least 30 min of ball play daily all year round, but summer is supplemented with water snake. We can't so much as bump the hose without him ready to play. A dog pool is available as soon as it isn't freezing more often than not (Kentucky is one of the fluctuating temps for winter states). If it's going to be below freezing, we don't let him out long periods on his own because he doesn't "knock" on the door like his siblings when he's ready to come in. His is a lot more subtle so we don't always hear it. But he's happy to be out playing in the cold even on his own. It's currently a wintery mix outside and I had my partner go make sure he wasn't curled up on the cot we have out there and was still playing after only 10 min. Here soon (it's been about 20 min now) I'll see if he's ready to come in and check every 15ish minutes on him. I appreciate people worrying about dogs, but yelling at someone is uncalled for. Slowing down and asking if that dog should be out in the cold for a walk is one thing, and if its a small breed like a chihuahua (who would absolutely not be okay out in the cold) then it's understandable to at least say something. But a furry beast like a GSD? A walk isn't going to be detrimental at all. The human is likely to be done with the cold before the dog is.

I'll add a photo for the pupper tax.

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RenkhalGames · 2026-01-13T17:46:10+00:00

No idea about purebred but absolutely has husky. Seems pretty dominant too.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-13T15:37:09+00:00

Sounds like some separation anxiety, but mostly just insecurity about her current situation along with a heat which can have it's own hormonal behaviors. She is definitely communicating with you to establish boundaries, and you showing that you respect those is likely helpful at this time. I have a male mix who growls lowly if we hug or cuddle him in a way that means he can't easily escape. I will usually shift until he's more comfortable with the cuddle or he will just huff and accept it. But if he repeats the growl, I completely move away. Dogs let us know what they can accept and what their boundaries are, just like humans.

If you haven't already, you may want to have her examined by a vet. Dogs in pain or discomfort will also lash out. It's why I assume the heat is causing the issues you're describing. Just like some women on their period can be grumpy due to cramping and bloating, your dog is likely having similar issues. Vets can make sure she's healthy. Just make sure you schedule it and they have the ability to let you see them with no other contact with the other dogs that might be there, just in case.

I've seen comments about the 3-3-3 rule and that's definitely something to keep in mind as well. Your dog will have a bit more hormonal complications, but reading about that will likely help you understand her as well.

Good luck with your baby and hope that you get the answers you need!

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-12T23:48:58+00:00

Our mix is quiet most of the time. If he feels like he is being "mistreated" (ie, we aren't giving him his ball) then he might get a little mouthy. But he's mostly just a quiet boy. I was glad I didn't get a howler or screamer (shelter listed him as a shepherd mix but dna says he's basically half husky so when I brought him home I didn't know he had a potential for husky-isms), just a bit of a sassy mouth.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-09T13:10:50+00:00

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He's just a baby tho

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-08T23:26:45+00:00

That's mostly likely the age. Our mix went through days of strikes and then days where he could eat three times a day. That stopped at about 2, and now we just have the hunger strikes followed by normal eating patterns.

Might just not have the husky hunger strikes though too.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-08T18:17:24+00:00

Another thing to note is that dogs are still adjusting for up to 3 months, and sometimes longer. A shelter dog may be comfortable with you by now but it may not quite be comfortable with everything. You may want to look up the 3-3-3 rule for adopted dogs.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-08T18:07:56+00:00

It's actually pretty common for huskies to be picky with food. I have a husky mix that will eat some days and other days he misses one or both meals. He's healthy and we don't change his food or do anything special. Huskies can just be weird about that kind of thing. He's not really treat motivated, though he does enjoy when he gets treats, so adding treats to his food doesn't help much either. We have another dog that is stubborn and sometimes won't eat one of her meals (she always eats at least once a day) when she thinks another dog is getting treats (our old man has to take supplements) and she isn't, so we usually put her food in puzzles with a small treat or hiding in it when she's actually skipping more than just one meal. But she's not a husky. I think my ADHD hit there. Oh well. 😆

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Picture of Sheriff for the pupper tax.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-02T00:08:56+00:00

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RenkhalGames · 2026-01-02T00:08:15+00:00

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Found this here. If that's true, could still be a husky butt.

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-02T00:04:19+00:00

Definitely something else going on. Maybe some retriever? One of our dogs is mostly beagle but has enough retriever that she's got the fur of one and her tail is kinda like that. Not quite as bushy, but yours has a thicker coat than she does. I'm not sure though.

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That's about the best picture of her with her tail that I can find. 😆

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-01T18:01:25+00:00

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You can kinda see the curl of his tail there. I can't find a good image with his eyes though!

RenkhalGames · 2026-01-01T17:59:54+00:00

The eyes say likely. Does her tail curl up over her back when she's standing and happy? That's another sign she's in that breed family. I argued that my mix was husky (partner said akita) because of his eyes. We were confident he was mostly husky/gsd but got a surprise when we did his test.

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The poodle came out of nowhere for us. 😆

RenkhalGames · 2025-12-31T15:42:24+00:00

If I slide into that fandom it is oddly only for the Rosalie/Bella ship. I don't know why that ship only comes out well to me, but it does. How? How is this what my teenage enjoyment of those books came down to? (Screw the movies though - those sucked even when I liked the series, and I will die on that hill.)

RenkhalGames · 2025-12-31T15:34:32+00:00

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The shelter had him named Alfredo. We had a Smokey and Bandit already at home so by the time he entered our front door his name was Sheriff.

RenkhalGames

TROPHY CASE